Former boxing world champion Zolani Tete, who holds the record for the fasted knockout in the sport, has tragically been killed in a shooting at his South Africa home
Zolani Tete has died aged just 38 (Image: 2022 Getty Images)
A former boxing world champion has reportedly been shot outside his home after being ambushed by two masked gunmen.
Police officials from South Africa’s Eastern Cape said that 38-year-old Zolani Tete, known by fans as globally as ‘last-born’, had been killed by at least two individuals who had been waiting in a car before taking shots at the boxer and another 27-year-old woman who was with him.
The attack, which took place at around 6:30pm local time, saw both Tete and the female passenger shot by the gunmen, with the unnamed woman still recovering in hospital.
Zolani Tete has sadly died following a shooting at his home
Police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said: “In an attempt to escape the hail of bullets, the deceased drove his vehicle into the yard.
“He unfortunately succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased on the scene. The female passenger sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. She remains hospitalised.”
Zolani Tete was one of South Africa’s most successful modern boxers and a two-weight world champion.
Zolani Tete’s death was confirmed by Eastern Cape police(Image: 2022 Getty Images)
He grew up in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape and began boxing at the age of eight, and had more than 400 amateur bouts under his belt turning professional in 2006.
Tete won the IBF super-flyweight world title in 2014 before memorably defending it by stopping Britain’s Paul Butler in Liverpool the following year. He later moved up and held the WBO bantamweight crown between 2017 and 2019.
His most famous moment came in Belfast in November 2017, when he knocked out Siboniso Gonya with his first punch. The fight was stopped after just 11 seconds, which was the fastest knockout recorded in a world-title contest.
Zolani Tete was a fiersome boxer who held the record for fastest knockout (Image: Getty Images)
Tete finished with a professional record of 29 wins, four defeats and one no contest, with 22 victories by knockout. His final bout was against Britain’s Jason Cunningham at Wembley Arena in 2022. Tete won by knockout, but the result was later overturned after he tested positive for stanozolol and received a four-year ban.
South African sports broadcaster Thabiso Mosia posted on X “What a tragedy! Rest in peace Champ. #RIPZolaniTete”.